Of the Soul
by Never-Rebel
Summary: Sesshoumaru makes the ultimate sacrifice to save the life, and soul, of Rin. Unintentional or not, the cost may just be too great. Especially when it involves his own demon soul. Ch. 4 Up!
1. Rescue

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Disclaimer – I do not own Inuyasha. I do not own the pretty Sesshoumaru or the darling Rin. If I did then I would be rich enough to have gorgeous men in loincloths feeding me grapes and serving me frozen margaritas…

Title – Of the Soul

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Chapter One – Rescue

* * *

Lord Sesshoumaru was most certainly going to kill him this time. In his present state, the idea seemed to hold an appeal that it had never held before. The toad demon almost wished for the swift death of his master as opposed to this slow torment.

It seemed as if blood spurted from everywhere. The hand that had once been attached to his arm was spilling the dark liquid a few feet away, more oozed from his midsection where three, vicious claws had sliced, digging – but failing - to rip out his internal organs. Jaken's head rested on the right side, the side that still had an ear. Tears leaked from his eyes, rolled down his cheeks and splashed into the puddle of blood and dirt.

A few feet away his wooden Staff of Skulls lie broken on the ground in a dozen splintered pieces. Ai-Un, also not far away, was missing both of its great beastly heads. Not even a fang remained of its skull.

His hoarse voice tried to cry out against the unbearable pain that flared anew with each ragged breath. Jaken dared not move for fear of what new levels of agony that would bring. 

"Lord Sesshoumaru…" he croaked miserably, but his voice failed him and he could only mouth the words. 

He had failed his master. His master would not come to save him and, even if he was found, he would be left to die for his failure. Worse yet, he could be made to die an even slower death.

All because of that stupid, human girl.

* * *

The stench of blood reached his nose miles away – and it was blood that he recognized. Sesshoumaru's pace quickened. His legs carried him past trees and shrubbery in a speeding blur, then suddenly he was leaping through the air and maneuvering across tree branches with more grace and skill than any squirrel possessed. So fast was his movement that, if anyone had been looking toward the forest, all they would have seen was the treetops.

The smell was getting stronger. Not just of blood, but the aroma of decay as well. It was fresh. He sniffed the air for human blood - for Rin's blood - but he caught no scent of it. It was Jaken's that he smelt; Ai-Un too. But when he sniffed again, though his face was an emotionless mask formed from years of being in a position that demanded no one knew or could see what he felt, his eyes opened just a fraction more. 

Rin wasn't there.

Moments after he realized that her scent was missing from the air, he reached the bloody site. His eyes roamed over the scene presented to him. He looked over the pools of blood made filthy by the dirty, at the carcass of the two-headed dragon steed, to the ensanguined body of Jaken. There was still no fresh scent of any human. 

However, he did smell something demon. Something that had come and gone long before he arrived. Sesshoumaru had his suspicions as to where Rin might be.

"L-L…ord…" The voice cracked. 

Sesshoumaru strode swiftly to Jaken, towering above the helpless form. Topaz eyes quickly assessed his injuries. They also formed a rather distasteful diagnostic as well: he was bleeding to death.

"Where is the girl?" he asked.

"Th-they… t-too…ook…" His voice finally failed.

"Who took her?" Sesshoumaru demanded in a quiet voice, one that punctuated the deadly threat behind it. "Or perhaps I should ask _what_ took her?"

The toad-demon moved his beak, but no sound came out. Sesshoumaru's gaze darkened, and Jaken tried to squeal in terror, but it came out as what could hardly be considered a wheeze.

Again, his beak flapped open and shut, but he could do nothing more than squeak.

There was a sound of a metal running along a scabbard, then the distinct ring of steel. Jaken's eyes widened when he saw the unsheathed sword. As the blade came down, natural reaction kicked in. Jaken through his arms up to shield himself as his legs instinctively curled upward. Pain erupted through every bone in his tiny body, through each muscle and tendon… and then abruptly ended.

Tentatively, his trembling body uncurled from the fetal position. A shaky hand roamed slowly over his stomach, feeling the tears in the fabric, but not the gashes on his skin. They were gone. He squawked when he saw that his right hand was still on the ground, separated from his limb. However his arm no longer spilt the fluid his body required in order for him to live. As the only hand he had left to him was feeling for his missing ear, Jaken looked up at his Lord. He had sheathed Tensaiga.

  
"Oh, Lord Sesshoumaru!"

Jaken flung himself at his master's feet, repeated words of gratitude and expressing apology all in the same breath.

"Where is Rin?" Sesshoumaru asked again. Jaken flinched at the force behind the words.

"Well, Lord Sesshoumaru, the girl insisted on b-bathing, so we headed back to the river…" he gulped. The deadly look he received told him to get on with it. "Two large slimy demon attacked me, my lord! I tried to protect the human as you instructed me to do from the hideous beasts, but it took the Staff of Skulls and broke it into little bits…"

Jaken shrunk away from his lord's ever darkening, unpleased disposition. With a sigh, he gave up on the tale and hung his head.

"They took her, my lord," he admitted. He didn't dare look up.

Nothing happened. He waited for his punishment, but none came. There was no sword drawn, no blow, no poisonous claws ripping into the back of his head. Finally, he had the gall to lift his forehead far enough from the dirt to peek out.

His head shot up. 

Sesshoumaru was gone. 

The toad demon scrabbled to his feet and ran after his master despite not having the slightest inclination as to which direction he had gone. 

"Lord Sesshoumaru!"

* * *

Something was going to die. No one got away with stealing from him. _No one_.

His sensitive nose led him and his powerful legs carried him faster than the strongest wind. Silver hair flew in the current.

Lightning cracked over the horizon, followed by the sky's angry grumble. Sesshoumaru ran faster, his feet touching the ground so rarely that one might have thought he was flying. There was a storm looming. The static in the air made the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. If he didn't hurry, the rain would wash away the trail.

Not that he couldn't find them on his own. It was just that the sooner he found the thief, the more likely it would be that he would find Rin still alive. Not that he cared if she died. She was only another worthless human. One who happened to belong to him.

It was the principle that made him chase after the winged demons. Whether it was Rin or a piece of meat – though, to most demons, something like that was usually considered one and the same – made no difference. The demon that stole from the Lord of the Western Lands paid with their life.

Another crack of lightning lit the gray sky and opened the dreary clouds to their duty. The rain fell in a light sprinkle that rapidly evolved into a heavy downpour so thick that his peripheral vision was limited to a mere six foot radius. Small chunks of ice pelted him and clattered against his armor, but it was little more than a piece of cotton to him.

The dirt became muddy and the grass slick, too slick for shoes. Sesshoumaru discarded his shoes as he leapt, dropping them into the puddles of mud below. When his feet touched the muddy earth, his clawed toes dug into it and again he propelled himself forward with a speed unhindered and unheard of.

Mountains came into view ahead, considerably small mountains, but too large to be considered hills. Even through the rain, he could smell the slimy demons – a great quantity of them. Human blood and the reeking stench of rotting corpses assaulted his hypersensitive nose. It was nothing that he had never gotten a whiff of before. With all of the human scents, though, he was annoyingly unable distinguish Rin's from the midst. 

As he shot out of the forest, two airborne masses came spiraling down from the sky. Sesshoumaru leapt between them with his arms extended and his claws stiffly pointed. He landed in a graceful crouch in the muck. The pair of eel demons crashed into the wet ground… their bodies split clear in half. Mud splattered onto his white kimono.

More winged serpents sped from cave openings in the mountains, catacombs that ran in endless tunnels through them, beneath them and under the land that surrounded them. Unhinged jaws that seemed more snake-like than eel-like revealed dangerous fangs, dripping with deadly poison, ready to snap back into place once around their victim. Their mossy green bodies were impossibly long and easily two tree trunks thick, with a wing span wide enough to accommodate flight. Three sharp talons sat at the joint on each wing. Sesshoumaru stoically drew his lethal blade, Toukijin.

As more tremendous, serpentine demons emerged from the catacombs into the raging storm her scent finally reached him. Out of the corner of his half-lidded eyes, he could see Rin's limp body wrapped in a slimy tail. Another gigantic eel flew close to the previous with something coiled in its tail as well. Whatever it was, it radiated a faint blue light that had a hazy, but familiar, shape. He recognized it.

It was Rin's soul.

That was the power of the oversized eel demons – the _unagi_. It was their special magic, now a minor annoyance to him. He found himself irresolute, unable to bring himself to kill the entire lot, as he knew he should do. At least, not until her soul was returned to her body. 

Long bodies began circling him, encasing him in a slow tornado of slithering, wet masses and flapping wings. They screeched and snapped their jaws at him, the mucky green fin atop their heads – which ran down the backs of their stretched bodies to the end of their tails – wobbled with the movement. They didn't strike. They merely continued to orbit around him, believing that they had trapped him. They were horribly mistaken.

One of the _unagi_ dropped out of the revolving encasement and fell into the center, slapping into the muck. A bright light radiated from it, a bright light that turned into a thick smoke that the rain was unable to penetrate. Sesshoumaru watched as the massive tail split into feet, as its wings folded inward and molded into arms. Its winding body shortened and gained contours that its frame shouldn't naturally possess, its round, pointed became more egg-shaped and sprouted hair that twisted like its true serpentine body. It – or now, rather, _he _–flipped his chestnut hair out of his human face. Green eyes glowed for a moment and then dulled.

"_Lord_ Sesshoumaru," he drawled and bowed low, mocking. His eyes looked behind Sesshoumaru, though, towards the cleaved bodies of his fellow eel demons.

"Return the human's soul to its rightful place and I will consider showing you mercy. I will kill you quickly, instead of slowly," said Sesshoumaru.

The eel demon chuckled, revealing the pointed fangs he retained in his human form. His hair was already drenched in the rain and tendrils were plastered to the side of his face. 

"Your father liked humans too, especially the human womens. I sees your tastes are no different."

Sesshoumaru kept his sword at his side. "You pretend to know who I am because you, like every demon, have heard the legend of the great dog demon," he said listlessly. "I am not my father, but I will not tolerate the theft of what belongs to me."

"And I wills not tolerate the murders of my kind!" he roared. "Do you knows who I am? I am Kaitoukon! Lord of the _unagi_. You slaughtered an entire hordes of my kindreds! You forced us froms our home!"

Purple poison dribbled from the corners of Kaitoukon's mouth as droplets of water rolled down from his scalp. Some of the violet substance had splattered onto Sesshoumaru's face from the angry spitting, but it was harmless unless injected into the blood. He didn't bother wiping it away. He allowed the rain wash it away. Nor did he bother with an explanation. It was unnecessary and the creatures unworthy of one. He knew why he had vanquished them from the Western Lands and there was no need for him to explain his reasoning. 

When they had been living in the Western Lands, they had lived entirely underground despite their flying capability. They burrowed catacombs and caves so deep and so far that they had been to encroach on his territory, something that few butterflies even dared to infringe upon. Complaints had come from villages of demons that were stealing the souls of their people - and the reports had grown rather irritating. They had finally exceeded their sector and their welcome. 

  
"We wants our territory backs," Kaitoukon said darkly. "And we wants your land too, _Lord_ Sesshourmaru. In returns, we wills put her soul backs."

"Of course," he said nonchalantly. "Now return her soul."

"NO!" he cried, green eyes flashing. "You wills give us your word in your blood! Swears rule of your lands to us in your blood."

The idea of shedding his blood was usually an unwelcome thought. The idea of shedding his blood for a _human_ was an even more unwelcome thought. It would make the slaughter of these demons all the more pleasurable.

Sesshoumaru brought the tip of the sword to his arm and met the bright green eyes of the _unagi_ lord as he sliced through the white fabric and into the skin, unblinking, unfeeling. Dark blood seeped into the arm of his pristine kimono as he waited for instructions.

"Swears control to us and smears your blood on me, then we wills give you your human," said Kaitoukon, his thin lips pulling into an uncontrollable smile.

The eel demon had no idea that his end was so near.

With calm indifference, Sesshoumaru strode up to him. He lifted his arm and smeared the blood onto his neck, just under his jaw and away from the deadly fangs that would mean doom even for a great demon such as himself. 

If they didn't keep their word – as he intended not to keep his – then he would kill them all anyway. After all, what was the loss of one, worthless human? She had already caused him far too much trouble.

A sudden upsurge of wind lifted Kaitoukon's waterlogged hair. His narrowed green eyes flew wide and flashed a murderous red. The wind, seemingly rising from the very earth, lifted his feet from the ground and his arms from his side. He twirled once and shot into the dark sky, his body winding into its twisting, eel-like form. Its large head nodded to the demons holding the captive.

The _unagi_ holding Rin's hazy soul slammed its tail into her body, snapping her limp body back in an unnatural way that her body normally didn't bend. The soul compliantly took up residence in her body once more.

In that same instant, Sesshoumaru leapt into the air with his sword outstretched, cutting through the circling bodies of airborne eels. Blood spattered out onto him as he sliced through their thick skin, spilling their long intestine and cutting wings in half, blood that was washed away by the dense rain. As his momentum slowed to an end, he twisted around to attack the rising eel demons, hissing their rage. But he never made it.

His eyes surged wide. His throat made an odd sound as if trying to cry out, yet was incapable of making such a sound. A pain like nothing he had ever felt bolted through him, ripping at his very being. Kaitoukon's pale blue soul burst out from his chest, turned and dove right back in. Sesshoumaru's mouth opened to scream, but no sound came out. His sword fell from his hand and plopped into the mud below. 

It was a pain unlike any physical pain he had ever experienced that exploded through his body as his soul was dragged from his body in tiny, tortuous fragments. The _unagi_ lord continued to dive through his body, stealing his very essence of life from him. The pain that seared within him as he felt his soul ripped from his body made him want to scream – and he almost did.

The torture ended, but the subsequent agony did not cease. Sesshoumaru fell to the muddy ground below, trying to get to get up, to force his legs to work, but the lasting pain made him unable to move. 

Darkness clouded the edges of his vision as he looked up at Kaitoukon, into the torrent of falling water, watching the snake-like soul return to its body. Wrapped in its greasy tail was _his_ soul. Not his human soul, but the misty shape of his true demon form. The enormous eel turned its head up and hissed, laughing at him. It spread its large wings and sped off with the other _unagi_ demons. He heard a splash as a small body dropped into the mud and whimpered beside him. 

They had stolen his soul… but he was still alive. There was something completely wrong with that. 

* * *

Two small hands jarred him, pushing on his shoulder. He dimly heard a voice saying his name and, as his awareness fully returned, he heard that same voice ringing with clarity. Yet, at the same time, it felt as if his hearing was hampered, like his eardrums were clogged with water.

Sesshoumaru sat up, his hair heavy with water and mud. The rain was pounding just as hard as it had been before, but his clothes could be no more soaked. His skin was cold and he felt a shiver moving up his spine, but he turned to the human girl beside him before his body succumbed to it. The cold should not have affected him in such a way. He blamed unconsciousness on the alien sensation, though he had no recollection of falling unconscious. 

"Lord Sesshoumaru!" Rin grinned cheerfully. Her hair was matted to her face, her checkered kimono was saturated with rain and muck and her shoulders sagged under the weight, but she was just as happy as ever to see him.

The smile on her face somehow made it seem as if… as if, perhaps, he was right to come after her. Of course it was right. She was his property. His property had been stolen. 

"Here's your sword!" she said. Toukijin was much too heavy for her to carry, so she had dragged it to him through the thick mud by the hilt.

He took it from her and was surprised to find it unusually heavy. He stood to sheath the long sword and noticed that his armor, too, seemed heavy over his shoulder. With a small amount of difficulty and his usual flare of grace, he sheathed his sword. Exactly what had Kaitoukon done to him? 

"What happened to your arm, sir?" Rin asked curiously as she bent closer to the aforementioned appendage.

Sesshoumaru glanced at his arm. The cut from his sword had not healed and the rain had washed away the blood to keep it from caking over. It should have healed by then. His mind drifted back to Kaitoukon, flying off with the soul of his dog demon form. He had his suspicions, but he was unwilling to confirm them.

Lightning cracked in the distance. The storm was merciless.

"Your hair…"

Her eyes sparkled with wonderment and her hand reached up as if she wanted to touch it. 

"What about it?" he asked coolly.

"It's not white. It looks prettier!" she giggled. 

"Don't be absurd." Even as he said it, he was walking towards the rocks to find a clean puddle.

He found one, rippling as fat raindrops splashed into it. Sesshoumaru stooped over it, waiting for his eyes to find the image he was looking for… and they did. Even through the disturbances he could see that his hair was no longer silver, but entirely black. It wasn't a pair of golden eyes that greeted him, but rather rich brown ones did. He searched the oscillating reflection for his markings, for the red stripes and the purple crescent moon, but even in that moment where the puddle was still he was unable to find them.

"Lord Sesshoumaru?"

His head whipped around to find Rin staring up at him in the pelting rain with an amused smile. Always smiling. Always friendly. His brows drew down in angry confusion.

It was impossible… yet it _was_ possible, because it had happened. 

The great Demon Lord of the Western Lands was human. 

* * *

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Author's Note – _When I began writing this, it was intended to be a lengthy one-shot with only two goals: make it a Sess/Rin love story and turn Sesshoumaru into a human. But, when I first encountered everyone's favorite demon, Rin was risking her life to get him food that she should have kept for herself. Despite having no prior knowledge of his character, I knew that it wasn't in his nature to warm up to the girl. Thus, my love for them as friends far exceeds my amusement towards them as a couple. So I'll leave the love stories to others – I couldn't bring myself to do it._

However, I am now forced to break the story into chapters and see if we can't make everything right again… *innocent grin* I hope it will remains short. No more than three chapters.

Also, I will be taking **picture requests** for the story. In other words, if there's a scene you want me to draw – I'll draw it. I'll also most willingly accept fanart if anyone draws any! XD

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Thank You Too – _My beta-reader, K-Chan, for helping me get a few things straight with the names. And for beta-reading, naturally._

K-chan: _Damn straight you better acknowledge me! I wasted my valuable computer time while YOU were taking a shower! ( I hope you cleaned your ears thoroughly!!!) La… I'm a beta-reader, all you other readers/authors out there._

I beta stories. Duh. I will rape your story, and you can contact me at celeste_lunear@yahoo.com_ ^_^_


	2. The Demon Lord

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Title – Of the Soul

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Chapter Two – The Demon Lord (_Undemonized)_

* * *

He was human.

The Great Demon Lord of the Western Lands was human.

The heavy rain was a never ending waterfall drenching him until he finally knew what it was to be cold. Water droplets spilt over his forehead and rolled down his cheeks. His brows knitted together as he looked passed Rin into the bleary shower falling from the skies. The patter of rain droned in his ears, faint to his normally sensitive hearing. His nose could barely smell the mud. 

Sesshoumaru felt for what had always been imprisoned within the fake human body, for what had always been harnessed and controlled, unable to slip out unless he called upon the true nature of his soul. He dug for what had always been contained just under the flesh, waiting for freedom. The transformation into his grand dog form never came. There was only nothingness where there had previously been his dormant demon soul.

Why did his soul not return when he called for it? His brown eyes opened just a bit more when he realized the answer a moment later.

__

Because I gave them a blood oath. It mattered not that it was a false act to him. All that mattered was that it was true to Kaitoukon and the _unagi_. 

Their belief made it real. How could he have been so foolish? He had been soul-raped for his ignorance; he had been stripped of his very being by the wretched demons and left as little more than an insignificant part of humankind. A demon in a human's form without a demon's soul was little more indeed. The body was no longer a guise. There was now truly nothing but a human heart beating within it.

The absence of his soul was profound. Without it there was an empty void where his emotions had been, hidden though they were. Behind his mask of composure, where the flame of hatred had once burned… was nothing. Disgust and vengeance also disappeared into the black hole that took the place of his soul. Even those softer sentiments that he pushed away and refused to acknowledge – the compassion and the sympathy – were lost to the all-consuming numbness of feeling.

Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed at the small child, who was grinning a gap-toothed grin at him. His reaction was a reflex that had been branded into his mind like a habit. He was repulsed by his human appearance. He was repulsed by Rin. At least, he knew he was supposed to be repulsed. From the depths of hollowness, the true feeling never came. Imagination and the memory of the feeling, though, were adequate substitutes in the rift. 

Even without his demon speed, he moved unusually fast. A callused hand – made rough from battle and sword handling – ripped the child up like a weed from the grass. He squeezed tightly to maintain his grip on the water-slicked skin of her neck. The pull of gravity was more formidable than what he had grown accustomed to, but the girl's weight was still insignificant. Her dark chocolate eyes grew to the size of grapefruits as her tiny hands came up to rest atop his.

"Sir?" she choked.

Although her perpetual buoyancy had proven that it indeed had an end, her reaction was unexpected. There was no fear in her eyes. There was only questioning, and even that seemed a mirage. It was as if she was waiting for him to do whatever he planned to do. She looked as if she would accept anything done to her by him. Her lack of fear increased his fathomed ire.

"This is your fault, human," he accused. Not with his usual calm, but with a vehemence that had never rolled off his tongue before.

Without a soul, Sesshoumaru had no worry of maintaining a perfectly disciplined, somber façade. He simply could not care to.

Rin said nothing. She didn't even attempt to. Even as his tightening grip threatened to crush her windpipe, she continued to stare at him without a touch of terror in her eyes. Even when his eyes smoked with a fury she had never before been the recipient of, she remained prepared for whatever fate he decided for her. 

He thought he might have wanted to kill her. He should have. One firm squeeze was all it would take… yet the eagerness to kill had been amongst the emotions peeled away, as would be the satisfaction that always followed a kill. 

__

I hesitated… His mind mulled over the notion, though detached from any possible distress that might have come with the realization. He quickly lost interest in the subject of his thoughts.

Sesshoumaru released the choking, red-faced child. She landed on her feet and, unprepared for her abrupt release, she slipped in the mud and fell back on her bottom. For a moment her bottom lip trembled. Tears welled in the ducts of her eyes. In the torrent of rain, it was impossible to tell if they fell. 

She wiped at her eyes and was soon smiling up at him again. 

"I'm sorry. What'd I do?" she asked. The innocence might have been heart-warming, but not to Sesshoumaru. Especially not a soulless Sesshoumaru.

His empty brown eyes stared at her. He didn't feel inclined to answer her childish inquiry – as he didn't _feel_ anything, really. Still, he chose to answer her. His predicament was her fault… even if he was unable to feel that it was. 

"I'm _human_," he growled at her over the storm.

As if the black clouds had heard his menacing voice, lightning chose that instance to crack. For a second the sky was a clash between purple and pink. In that same second, much like the sky, his eyes were a clash between gold and brown.

The young girl tilted her head as her brows drew down in bewilderment, her seven year old mind uncomprehending of the meaning of his statement.

"But you are… Lord Sesshoumaru. He looks different, but is still him," she said as if she were talking to herself, trying to understand.

She couldn't understand. It was as if she had never realized that he was demon. Or that she was human and that there was a difference between the two. It was like she had never learned that people and demons were seemingly unable to coexist peacefully.

And therein was the problem, he realized. As an orphan, she had no one to teach her to fear demons. She had abusive men to teach her to fear people. Around Jaken and himself, the company of demons was ordinary and completely natural to her. For a moment, Sesshoumaru allowed himself to wonder if she thought of them as mortals such as herself, or if she thought of herself as an immortal such as them. The thought was soon gone, banished from his uncaring mind.

He regarded the child for a moment with unseeing eyes, though still perceiving as her short attention span had already drifted away from contemplation to the mud under her feet. However, before she could bend down and start playing with it, Sesshoumaru turned. His wet hair and drenched attire flung water with the movement. 

"Come, Rin," he commanded. His placid tone had returned.

"O'tay!" she said cheerily.

Though the idea of playing with the mud was forgotten, that didn't stop her from playing _in_ it. She obediently followed behind him, jumping and leaving deep impressions of her feet in the muck. When she tried to pull them out, it created a strong suction against her feet. 

Sesshoumaru's pace slowed only for a moment as he waited for a slurping sound to tell him that she had freed herself from the mud. He didn't slow again.

The _unagi_ had his soul. 

He wanted it back. 

Immediately.

* * *

Away from the pouring storm, flight was smoother for their large wings without the added weight of water to bog them down. The clouds were dark still, but moving away towards the lands that they had come from. Kaitoukon grinned, his black, slimy lips pulling wide to reveal rows of deadly fangs dripping with poison and saliva. 

His wings slowed their flapping as his enormous body straightened. He hovered in place as he flipped his tail up, uncurling it and tossing the foggy blue form of a burly dog into the air. Before the soul could dart back to its rightful body, Kaitoukon unhinged his jaw and opened his mouth to its widest extent. His wings propelled him upward at the demon soul and he devoured it whole.

A bright red light surrounded his form completely. It shot upwards, turning his very body into the same red light that sped into the sky. It ricocheted back as if it had hit an invisible barrier and crashed back down to the grasslands below, exploding into a gargantuan form.

The shape radiated a red glow. The solid color rose to stand on four thick legs - legs that supported an even larger mass. As the light dulled, the demon began to growl, baring its elongated fangs and long, rounded snout. A white pelt rose from its underbelly and encircled its slimy, moss green shoulder, winding to mid back. Extending from just behind the shoulder blades were the same great wings, if not now greater. A round, monstrous tail whipped behind it dangerously, testing before it finally plopped onto the ground. It threw its head up and roared, a pink split tongue protruding from its mouth as it released a sound somewhere between a hideous bellow and a hiss. 

With a feral grin, the mammoth body flapped its wings and rose from the ground, racing into the sky to catch up to its fellow eel demons. 

* * *

Under the shelter of copious treetops, they were shielded from the onslaught of rain. A few lone droplets trickled through the dense leaves and rolled down the thick limbs, sprinkling the grass with moisture.

Sesshoumaru moved swiftly between trees, searching for the level path. Without his keen sense of smell, he had to rely on his eyes. Eyes that had a poor vision he was unaccustomed to having. He imaged that his inability to find the path should have frustrated him, but it didn't. He felt nothing except a tingling at the base of his spine that was trying to make his body tremble with cold. Movement kept the shiver from consuming him.

His saturated kimono, made filthy with dark bloodstains and such, was heavy. The armor around his waist was heavy too. The spiked shoulder adornment made his back hunch under the weight. Any air of regality or grace was gone from his posture. He was just a soulless human stumbling over fallen tree trunks and avoiding thick patches of weeds. His situation might have been humiliating… had he been able to feel anything. However, his predicament was no less degrading.

Carrying the extra weight was a burden that he didn't need now. Not when he was trying to move as fast as humanly possible. He unbuckled the lower body armor and discarded it thoughtlessly behind him. Immediately his legs began working faster without the cumbersome metal restricting them. The shoulder spikes _clunked_ to the ground a moment later. Sesshoumaru kept his pelt and the belt that held his swords.

Behind him, Rin wriggled through small openings in the brush that only a child her size could fit through. She struggled to climb over the same fallen logs that Sesshoumaru's long legs eased over and she had gotten a foot caught in weeds on more than one occasion. She endured it all with a smile and followed him with a bounce in her step.

"Ah!" she yelped, suddenly yanked back by her hair.

The hostile branch was stubborn and refused to give up the lock of hair that it had caught as she passed. Rin made a fist around the lock and pulled on it, but the knot remained.

Sesshoumaru paused, watching impassively as the child wrestled with the inanimate limb. She finally tugged her hair free, leaving it disarray. Well, more so than usual. A warm smile greeted his gaze when she turned to him. The warmth didn't quite reach him, especially through his drenched kimono. His skin was chilled, but he ignored the unusual sensation.

Rin sniffed and wiped a wet, checkered sleeve over her nose. Rain did humans no good. Rain only served to make them ill, as had happened before when the child insisted on playing in it. The memory seemed distant to him, floating on the surface of his thoughts, just out of his mental grasp. He didn't try to delve for the recollection.

"Your clothes are wet," he noted, monotone.

"Uh huh," she nodded. "And dirty!" she added proudly. 

He continued as if he hadn't heard her.

"We will find a place to build a fire and dry them."

"Can we go fishing too?" Rin asked hopefully.

Usually a mental curl of the lip was his response, but this time it slipped out onto his visage. He gave her no vocal answer and turned away. She understood his silent consent.

Rin giggled cheerfully and bounded after him.

* * *

"I smell demon," Inuyasha growled, glaring skyward.

Hints of sunlight were only just beginning to break through the gray storm clouds, which had finally relented on their downpour.

Inuyasha turned to Kagome, who was sloshing her bike along through the glass with a sleeping fox demon in the basket. "Are there any shards?"

"I didn't sense anything earlier, but…" she frowned. She stopped to concentrate, expounding her senses in a further radius, feeling for any remnants of the jewel nearby. After a moment, she shook her head. "Still nothing."

"Hn," he practically groaned.

His hand, which had instinctively gone to the hilt of Tetsusaiga when the scent reached his nose, didn't fall back to his side. His grip tightened around it. Kagome found the gesture still slightly unnerving after all of their traveling together, knowing that he could sense a danger that she couldn't see. 

"What is it?" Miroku asked. When he saw the half demon's white knuckles, his grip around his staff grew firmer.

"Help me!" A voice shouted through the trees. 

Branches cracked. Leaves crunched. Loud pants and terrified mewling drifted through the trees. Another scream resounded through the woods as someone burst through a thick brush, his arms brought up in front of his face. A few thin twigs were sure to scratch at his limbs for invading the thicket.

"Please, help me!" the man cried again. He whisked himself behind Kagome's bike as if it were a shield, grabbing hold of the wheel and sliding onto his knees. The bike toppled down after him, along with a fully awake and shrieking Shippou. 

Kagome instantly gathered up the poor fox child in her arms and knelt beside the man, putting a calm, reassuring hand on his shoulder. He scooted away from the touch as his body trembled with the terror of whatever it was he had seen. His eyes were wide with horror.

"What? What is it?" she asked gently, though there was a touch of urgency to her voice.

"You should be more care-" Shippou began, but silenced when a gentle, yet firm, hand covered his mouth.

  
"It's after me! Please don't let it get me!" 

Tears were rolling down his cheeks. Kagome absently wondered if he knew that he was crying.

Tetsusaiga rang with the clear sound of an unsheathed sword. The rusted piece of junk had transformed into the magnificent fang, both smooth and deadly. Miroku followed his lead and held his staff at the ready.

"What's after you?" Kagome persisted. 

A large shadow flew up from the trees like a dolphin leaping out of water. It was enormous. The long, winding body flew over the forest with a speed something its size shouldn't possess, its gigantic wings gliding through the air. The silhouette dove back into the maze of trees only to dart back out a moment later, hissing angrily.

The already terrified man screamed again, louder. Even Kagome let out a surprised squeak and shrunk away from the massive shadow. It certainly wasn't making any friendly noises. 

The serpentine shadow flapped its massive wings and rose into the darkened sky, spreading its wings grandly. The shadow curved then and snapped its wings back to dive. Its mouth opened wide, revealing narrow, yet incredibly sharp fangs. As it raced toward them, its shadow faded to reveal contour and color. Eyes, placed on either side of the head, were black, elongated pinpricks against yellow sclera. Its nose was flat, with two slits serving as nostrils. A large fin sprouted from the middle of its forehead and continued down its spine, running all the way to the end of its tail.

__

It looks like… an eel. Kagome decided uncertainly.

She could see the determination in its hideous, yellow eyes. It was intent on killing.

"It takes souls!" the man cried. "Don't let it get me!"

"We won't," Kagome assured him. 

She glanced back at the eel demon. There was a dull, blue light surrounding its body. None of the demons that she had ever encountered before had glowed. She took it as a bad sign.

Inuyasha leapt into the air above the eel demon, his sword drawn back at his side. For the past two days he had been in a foul mood, which she guessed had something to do with their latest argument concerning school, tests and returning home to take that those tests. A defensive Shippou had ended up biting Inuyasha on his hindquarters and the only reason the small fox demon was still alive was due to the subjugation beads and the many angry SIT! commands it had responded to. 

In his sour mood, he apparently didn't feel like toying with the demon. With one violent swing, the blade sliced up the jaw and out through the skull. There was a blur of silver and red as Tetsusaiga was brought back down for a second swing, this time slicing through the back of its head where its neck presumably connected. A geyser of blood gushed from the decapitated eel demon's body.

Kagome looked away. She had seen the horrible sight so many times, both the same and similar losses of other appendages, but each time it made her stomach churn. She fought down the bile that had risen to the base of her throat.

The blue luminescence had begun to move forward out of the body as if it were trying to escape. As the body slammed into the ground below, the blue… _thing_ vanished like dissipating fog. She wanted to know what that glow was, but first she had to get the awful image of the demon's slaughter from her mind's eye. It was her very own private movie, rewinding and playing repeatedly. Kagome tried to concentrate on the blue light.

"Inuyasha?" she asked timidly. 

Tetsuseiga had returned to its powerless state and was again sheathed in its scabbard, yet the half demon still stood rigid. His ears flattened back, which wasn't a good sign.

"What?" he snarled.

"Did you…" Kagome struggled to find a word to describe what she had seen. It was like glowing smoke, but _what was it?_ She gave up on putting words to it. "Did you see that?"

"See the demon with the big teeth flying at me? Oh no, I completely missed it," Inuyasha snapped wryly.

"Not that!" Kagome huffed and stood. She stomped her foot back and threw her hand out in the direction of the dead carcass behind her. Its tail still twitched, but gradually the sporadic, after-death movement ceased. "It was glowing blue!"

The man, still quaking with unforgotten fear, rose along with her. Kagome patted his back comfortingly, but she didn't miss the what-the-hell-are-you-babbling-about? look from Inuyasha.

__

I'll take that as a "no", she thought with a mental sigh.

  
"Are you alright?" she asked the man. He must have been from a nearby village.

He tried to speak, but his voice chose that moment to fail him, and so he nodded instead. He then moved to Inuyasha, whose lips twisted to the side in annoyance, and shook his clawed hand.

"Thank you," said the man. Inuyasha snatched his hand away, so the man changed tactics and bowed to him instead. "You saved my life. I can't thank you enough!"

"Well you can start thanking us by telling us what those things were," said Inuyasha, gesturing to the mossy-green body. 

"_Unagi_."

"_Unagi_ are not common in this area. In fact, their territory is far outside this region in the mountains," said Miroku.

"My people used to tell many stories of the demons massacring villages, but- but we had never actually seen one," he said, his trembling lips bumbling over his words. He went on as if he didn't notice his stuttering. "And th-then today an entire group of them fly down on the village and begin devouring the people's souls–"

"Woah! Devouring souls?" Kagome repeated incredulously.

He nodded. "Yes. Their bodies drop to the ground… and then there's this blue ghost flying around in its place. It pulled the souls out of the villagers and… and ate them. And then there was this big dog demon leading them."

As the man spaced his arms far apart to illustrate the hugeness of the demon, Inuyasha's head snapped up. Miroku shared a similar look of recognition, though he seemed more uncertain.

"I knew I'd caught Sesshoumaru's scent around here," the half demon muttered.

"Do not be so hasty as to jump to conclusions, Inuyasha. Sesshoumaru may be heartless, but he is also someone who seems to prefer his own company. Why would he use other demons to attack a village when he could have easily done it himself?" Miroku questioned, putting logic into the situation despite his unwillingness to.

Inuyasha would have none of it. "Because he can! Maybe he didn't wanna waste his energy, but I sure as hell don't know of any other dog demons."

"What did the demon look like? The dog demon?" Kagome asked as she hugged Shippou closer to her chest.

The man closed his eyes tightly and shook his head. "Please, I just wish to return to my village. I must know if my siblings got away…"

"Well then, we'll go with you," she said. She tried to smile, but she could only get the corners of her mouth to lift.

"You and Miroku can go with him. I'm going after that bastard brother of mine."

"Inuyasha! We don't know for sure if it was him. And you know he's just going to try and take the Tetsusaiga from you. For all we know this could just be some plan of his," said Kagome. 

Her mind searched for more reasons, making them ready at the tip of her tongue to argue. Call it women's intuition, but the situation didn't feel at all like Sesshoumaru had played a part in it. Okay, sure, the bit about the dog demon was a little… coincidental, but that didn't mean it was him. She didn't want Inuyasha to go after his brother. It was pointless. 

"And he always jumps out at _me_. This time I wanna be the one that jumps out at him," he spat, turning on his heel. "The demons are gone. If they come back, Miroku has his wind tunnel."

Inuyasha took off, his feet racing at a speed that still awed her. 

"And don't even think about sitting me!" he called back at her. Leaves rustled as he leapt lightly onto a tree branch, followed by more quiet rustling.

The idea hadn't come to mind until he mentioned, but even then Kagome chose not to activate the hindering spell. Facing his brother was something he felt that he had to do, she just didn't want him to do something stupid like he always did. She didn't want them fighting to no end. And she didn't want Inuyasha to get hurt. She gently set Shippou down on the ground in front of the monk.

  
"Miroku? Will you two go with him back to the village? I'm going to follow Inuyasha."

The conviction in her voice stopped his automatic disagreement. He sighed. "I suppose there is no way for me to dissuade you. I will await your arrival at the village, then."

Kagome picked up her fallen bicycle and readjusted the backpack on her shoulders. After wiping the seat of the water that had splashed onto it, she pedaled as fast as her legs would allow. For some reason, it was important that she went with him to confront his brother. She had plenty of time to contemplate the reasons as she pedaled over the slick grass… but her mind kept returning to the same one. She had to make sure Inuyasha fought with his head, rather than with his testosterone.

* * *

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Author's Note – I'm rather pleased with myself, even if I did have to include a lot of the typical Inuyasha gang in this chapter to get where I want to go. *happy grin* I might have to make a small detour in my original plans, but golly gee that's just how it goes sometimes. Hopefully I'll keep the story around four chapters. Also, just as a small note: Sango has not yet joined the group (even though the proper timeline says that she has) in case anyone was wondering about her absence.

Oh, I am taking **picture requests **for this chapter too. :)

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Thank You's – Mucho thanks to my absolutely _wonderful_ reviewers! I don't believe I've ever had such praiseworthy, completely flattering and otherwise inspirational comments to get me writing faster.

Deadly Tears – You make me smile. Not only were you my first reviewer, but all of your praise just went straight to my head. Oh, I also completed your picture request. When I have access to a scanner (which I hope will be soon), I'll let ya know!

Kitty Kagome – Don't worry, its not over yet! I still have to try to fix what I did to poor Sess. Hmm, I wonder if it _can_ be fixed.

Pixie – I find Sess/Rin stories to be rather cute… if done properly, but their "friendship" is far cuter. Besides, after K-Chan told me that Sesshoumaru's reincarnation ends up with the daughter of Rin and [insert scary music here] Kohaku, I couldn't bring myself to write a love story. Ah well.

WildfireDreams – I knew something was going to request a picture of his reflection, which is gonna take me some time to get around to. I need to find a position I'm comfortable drawing him in, be it looking into his reflection or just the reflection… but I will get it done, honey, since you were so kind as to review!

anhimals – Well… did ya like how this chapter played out? Tee hee.

Sylvyr Elf – Why thank you! Thank you bundles. And when I first thought about turning Sesshoumaru human, I was like 'Ugh, how many people have done _that_ before me?' I'm pleased to know that it is more original than I originally thought, and incredibly happy to know that you liked how it was done!

Wyrsa – Thank you kindly, darling. I was in a frenzy the other day looking for the tape that had the Rin episode on it, but then I realized I must have taped over it. I am deeply saddened, but reading over your review again cheers me right up. *big grin*

Vorsith – Your review flatters me, really. I had my doubts as to whether or not I could keep everyone in character when I put them into these situations, and I'm happy to know that you think I've done my job successfully! And Rin strikes me as a child who would just as quickly say Sesshoumaru's hair looks prettier if it were to go back to silver from the black. Ahh, I love Rin. And I love you too for reviewing.

K-Chan – You are my wonderful beta-reader. I love you the most, especially when you rape my stories. I should have some one-shotters for you soon. 


	3. Because of a Human

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Title – Of the Soul

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Chapter Three – Because of a Human

* * *

Toukijin would not obey him. It was as useless to him as the Tetsusaiga. Pure demon blood still flowed through his veins, but that apparently wasn't what allowed him to command the power of the blade. Somehow it worked conjointly with his soul, which gave him another reason to pursue the_ unagi _- as if having his soul stolen in the first place was not reason enough.

Except, there was a single problem that he had failed to recognize in his hasty yet resolute decision to retrieve his soul: he didn't have his demon endowments. Essentially, he was as weak as a human was. The thought should have disgusted him, but he pushed the notion into the back of his brain and ignored it. If he faced the eel demons without a well-conceived plan, he would perish. He needed a plan.

"SESSHOUMARU!"

Panic surged through him, but it was gone so suddenly that he was sure that the reaction had been created from some dark alcove of his mind. He ripped his gaze away from the fire and looked to the light cascade of water that hid the cave entrance. He waited for Inuyasha to burst through, expected him to, but didn't want him to. Even without the capability to feel emotion, Sesshoumaru knew the humility his human appearance would bring after he recaptured his soul.

__

If he could recapture his soul. It was a rather precarious problem.

"Come out here and fight me!" his half-breed brother demanded.

"Inuyasha, this is that 'something stupid' I was talking about last night…"

Sesshoumaru's dull gaze roamed over the fire, over the algae growing on the rocks of the cave wall; he glanced at Rin, who had stood so that she might peek out through the space between the ledge and the waterfall. Inuyasha had brought along his human girl, which only gave him more incentive to remain seated behind the waterfall.

"Consider yourself lucky, Inuyasha. I do not feel like killing you today."

__

Killing him with what? _Your pelt?_ the sardonic part of his brain quipped. Sesshoumaru concluded that he had found yet another detestable aspect of humanity.

"Ha! You've never succeeded in killing Inuyasha. What makes you think this time would be any different?"

He could think of a few things that would make the fight quite different. Like a humiliating death, for example.

"Would you shut up, Kagome! This is my business, so butt out."

"Your patience with this creature is astonishing, Inuyasha."

A feeling of _de ja vou_ hit him and his brain worked quickly to recall the instance when he had said that before. Again, he found his eyes falling upon Rin, who was looking back and forth between Inuyasha and him, and he remembered. Back in his father's tomb, after Kagome had pulled the Tetsusaiga from the stone…

__

…You protect her, indulge her, even seem to love her. Certainly these feelings of mercy are something that I did not inherit from our great, and terrible, father. 

His memory was flawless. He didn't bear that weakness when it came to humans, unlike Inuyasha and his father, yet images of a smiling, gap-toothed Rin flashed through his mind.

"Who you got with you, Sesshoumaru? Smells human," Inuyasha sneered.

The insult was out of her abilities to comprehend, and so Rin took the remark as an invitation. She giggled and skipped out of the cave. Sesshoumaru probably should have stopped her, he had almost gotten up to do so, but they would most likely assume that she was another mere servant. 

Since her kimono was still soaked, Rin was wearing his relatively dry top and his white pelt around her shoulders for warmth. Sesshoumaru dimly wondered what that was going to look like to them, though he didn't care either way.

"Hello!" Rin said brightly.

"She's a… little girl?"

"Sesshoumaru. You're just sick. She's not even ten. Pedophile," said Inuyasha.

He thought Inuyasha's attempts to rile him were immature. Obviously, his brother didn't know him well, otherwise he would know to jibe at his pride. Not that that would make any difference in his current condition.

Again, Rin seemed to misunderstand the statement. "Lord Sesshoumaru is not sick! He's ju-"

"Rin," he said loudly through the waterfall, "why don't you go downstream to fish?"

He had seen her eyes light up and her big grin many times before, and he could imagine her face then. His chest felt warm, but the heat was just from the fire.

"Can I really?" she asked hopefully.

"Yes."

He heard her laugh and plop onto the wet grass, but her childlike laughter suddenly turned into a shriek.

"Rin, huh? Hey, stop squirmin', brat," Inuyasha snapped.

"Lord Sesshoumaru!" she cried.

"Hey, no kicking! Gah! No wonder he likes you."

"Put her down, Inuyasha," Kagome grounded out.

"Help!"

"I'll put her down as soon as Sesshoumaru gets his sorry hide out here for me to kick. Ow, ow, ow! Stop biting me, brat! _That's it!_ You're going in the river."

Sesshoumaru frowned, shielded within the cave from the run off water. He could feel nothing no matter how deep he delved for the emotions that he had always kept locked away. Still, he knew that he did not appreciate Inuyasha threatening - or even handling - his property.

He didn't move.

She was a helpless human girl that he protected, indulged; he showed her mercy. Rin was a weakness that he should not have had. 

"Lord Sessho-aaah!"

__

SHPLACK!

Putting aside his thought-conjured dilemma to deal with later, Sesshoumaru stood. He didn't know if she could swim. He didn't know if he would regret not rescuing her… again. Regret? He had never regretted any decision before. He couldn't care now, so he wouldn't care later if she died.

Hands splashed in the water as Rin struggled to break the surface. Sesshoumaru could see Rin coming up to gasp for air in his mind's eye, only to have her mouth burble with water as she slipped back underwater. He heard her come up again, this time choking and trying to call out his name.

"How could you do that to a child, Inuyasha?" his woman chastised. "Hey, let me go, buster. I need to get her out before she drowns!" 

"I'm not letting you go in there until Sesshoumaru comes out to fight me."

"Oy! You're willing to sacrifice a child for your ego?" Kagome shouted incredulously.

Sesshoumaru discarded his white undershirt by the fire - it still had some drying to do. He checked to ensure that his belt was tied securely and that Toukijin was clear in its scabbard, even if he was unable to use the blade's full power with this cursed human body.

Stepping onto the ledge, he dove through the curtain and into the frigid water. He remained underwater to prolong their discovery of his black hair, brown eyes, lack of noble markings and the general fact that he did not look like a demon. His human eyes were wide and the vision was poor, but he spotted Rin, her arms flailing wildly and her legs kicking as if expecting to find something solid under her feet. Already his lungs burned. With his arm he grabbed Rin and propelled them to the surface with a few strong kicks. She gasped ravenously for air, and he did the same, though much more quietly.

Sesshoumaru acted as if there weren't two spectators gawking at him. He concentrated instead on getting Rin to solid ground, which proved to be a difficult task with only one arm and no footing to spring from in the deep water. He shifted Rin onto his back, much to her delight, and she clung to him even after they made it to the bank. She rested her cheek against the back of his neck and sighed contentedly.

Although he should have dumped her off, he chose not to. He could be no more undignified, so a child playing piggy back didn't much matter.

In his mind, he was reluctant, but he turned to face his half-breed brother and his whelp without hesitation. Sesshoumaru stood regally. Well, as best one could when they were drenched, shirtless and had a child on their back. His eyes were empty as he stared at them, which they would no doubt misconstrue as challenging and defiant.

"You're human?" Kagome blinked.

Inuyasha burst out laughing. It was forced, loud, obnoxious and most of all, taunting. Sesshoumaru walked around the raucous half human and his dumbfounded girl. When he got his soul back, they would both die immediately.

A clawed hand caught his wrist, the pointed nails digging into his skin. Sesshoumaru turned calmly. His light brown eyes narrowed. His degrading half-breed half brother was still sniggering. 

He felt nothing.

"Oh c'mon, Sesshoumaru. Fight your half-breed brother!" he mocked.

Rin was resting on a few wet pieces of his hair, unknowingly pulling on them. He moved his hair to rest in front of his shoulder.

"'Not in the mood to fight me'. Ha!" he continued, forcing out more snickers. 

Kagome moved in front of Inuyasha, still staring. Except now she was scrutinizing him, inspecting Sesshoumaru's human form. He found her studying unpleasant and unwanted.

"You will both die," he said flatly.

His words only made Inuyasha's laughter grow louder - and perhaps a bit more genuine. The girl, however, was undeterred. A little afraid of the demon she remembered him being, the one that could have killed her with one well-aimed swipe, but she didn't back down. Yes, indeed they both deserved to die.

"What happened to you?" she asked.

Sympathy? Sesshoumaru snorted at her. Unfortunately, Rin was not so accustomed to remaining quiet.

"He saved me," she nodded proudly.

"Yes," Kagome said slowly, glancing at the girl, then suspiciously back to him, "he did get you out of the river."

"No," Rin giggled, drawing out the word. "Before. He saved me from the things."

Inuyasha's chuckling faded and he stood up straight, scowling.

"Rin, that's enough," Sesshoumaru warned.

He turned to leave, but the whelp moved right back in front of him and gave Rin a little smile.

"What 'things'?" Kagome asked gently.

"They killed Ai-Un and Jaken and took me away," she answered sadly.

Sesshoumaru chose not to mention that Jaken was alive and most likely searching for them. However, Sesshoumaru wasn't too keen on having his servant see him like this, so he made no extra effort to find the toad demon.

"Oh goddamnit!" Inuyasha exclaimed as he whirled around. 

He drew Tetsusaiga from its sheath, which morphed into the deadly fang of his father with a bright gleam of light. The blade rang with the distinct ring of a drawn sword. 

Two green-gray masses came racing over the waterfall, pressing their wings against their sides for a short dive before reopening them again, flapping just in time to save them from a midday swim. Purplish slobber dribbled from partially open mouths, elongated fangs protruding over the bottom half of the muzzles. One of the eel demons let out a shrill, broken screech and flapped harder, shooting forward through the air.

"Kaitoukon didn't tells us that we would be getting more than one souls…" one of the _unagi_ hissed, its thin black lips pulled into a hungry grin.

"Oh no you don't!" Inuyasha yelled.

"Inuyasha, its glowing!" Kagome called to him. 

"Well I can't see it!" he grumbled.

He leapt high into the air with Tetsusaiga at his side, exhaling with a deep growl. The eel demon unhinged its jaw and propelled itself forward with another mighty flap of its wings, planning to devour Inuyasha before he could even lift his sword. But Inuyasha moved with an unexpected speed, bringing the blade up and slicing the head from body where the spine attached. The head fell to the ground, staring as if trying to figure out what had just happened, until the brain finally realized it was dead.

Rin's arms tightened around Sesshoumaru's neck so that she was almost choking him, except she was too small to really to do so. He pulled his mouth into a line of grim irritation and reached up to hold her wrists, to keep them off his windpipe, not to comfort her...

The other _unagi_ was undoubtedly headed for him. This one was more determined, more focused. Sesshoumaru didn't run. Not even when it circled around Rin and him, preparing to coil its body around them and crush them. 

"We would have lets you lives if you had stayed off our lands," it said, small droplets of spit coming off its tongue as it spoke.

Sesshoumaru met its wild eyes with an empty expression. The Western Lands were his, but he didn't care enough to correct it. His life was about to come to an abrupt halt, but he couldn't bring himself to care.

"Get away from them!" Kagome screamed, pulling an arrow back in her bow. "You can't have our souls!"

The arrow found its mark in the joint that connected its wing to its body. Blood spurted from the disconnected limb as the wing slipped onto the ground, half-splashing in the water. The eel demon fell to the ground with angry wail. Its yellow eyes widened at Kagome. It sprung forward with its powerful tail and lunged for her.

Its body, still circled around Sesshoumaru, swept under his feet. Unable to jump over it in his pathetic human body, he hopped onto the sliding body, then to the ground on the other side. He landed in a crouch, one knee on the ground and his hands splayed in front of him, to keep him from toppling over with Rin's weight on his back. Rin clung all the more fiercely to him.

"Make them go away," she half wined, half whimpered.

"What be lefts of his soul be a morsels… Your soul wills be a fine meals!" it said.

Inuyasha, a blur of red and silver, leapt above the grounded eel demon. In the next instant, the body was separated into two, clean-cut pieces and the wave of golden energy was slamming into the ground beneath it. Dirt and rocks exploded in the fissure.

Sesshoumaru remained stoical, not even flinching as the front of the body landed just a couple feet in front of him.

Inuyasha touched down at the edge of the water in a graceful crouch. He stood and sheathed Tetsusaiga, tossing a satisfied smirk at his brother.

"You are lucky to hit anything with your reckless swinging, Inuyasha," Sesshoumaru said blandly.

Inuyasha blanched.

"Ya know what, I just saved your sorry ass from getting _eaten_ by those things! I didn't see you moving to do anything. Oh, wait, you can't. Because you're a weak little human," he sneered. "I should kill you right now, you ugly bas-"

"Inuyasha!" Kagome thrust her arms down at her sides and stomped her foot. "Watch your language. There are children present!"

At the mention of children, Rin finally slid off of Sesshoumaru's back. She made a face at the bloody carcasses, but showed no signs of uneasiness or queasiness. 

"Feh! She'll get over it," he said as he folded his arms, but he did quiet with a last snarl toward his brother.

Kagome bent down to Rin's eye level and smiled at her. 

"Are you alright?" she asked compassionately.

"Uh huh!" the little girl nodded. "Lord Sesshoumaru protects me."

"What? He didn't do a da-"

"Sit," said Kagome.

__

FOOMP! 

Inuyasha smashed face first into the ground. A cloud of dirt rose around him and then settled into new ground.

"I told you to watch your language." 

Sesshoumaru's unfocused gaze fell on the water. This was a waste of his time. The _unagi_ were obviously after him. Without his soul they shouldn't have even thought of him as a minor problem, yet Kaitoukon still considered him a threat. They didn't want him on the lands they had stolen from him and claimed as theirs. They didn't want to even consider the possibility of him regaining his soul and slaughtering them. They were going to kill him before he could even try.

Everything was Rin's fault. If not for her, he would not have been without his soul.

"Sesshoumaru…?" Kagome asked uncertainly, paused, then continued more assuredly. "Did you have an encounter with the _unagi_?" 

His eyes rolled back in her direction, lifeless. She met his blank stare with deep brown eyes abound with life and emotion.

  
"They stole your soul, didn't they?" she pressed, though it was more of a statement.

"Ha!" Inuyasha barked as he picked himself up off the ground.

Sesshoumaru didn't answer.

"When you went to save Rin? Is that when they stole it, Sesshoumaru?"

"You should mind your business, human," he said. 

He moved passed her, listening for footsteps behind him to let him know that Rin was following, but he heard nothing. She didn't move. In fact, he even heard her talking, though he couldn't discern what she said. Sesshoumaru had no qualms about leaving her behind and now was as good of a time as any - and probably one of the few chances he would get.

"Do you want your soul back? Because I don't think you can get it without our help."

"Hey! Wait a second here. I ain't helping _him_," said Inuyasha, casting a clawed hand in Sesshoumaru's direction.

Sesshoumaru ignored him and looked to the human whelp, inclining his head slightly to the side. "I have sworn to kill both you and Inuyasha… and yet you want to help me? You are a foolish mortal."

"I'm not doing it for you," said Kagome, "I'm doing it for Rin. She knows you want to be a demon again and for whatever reason, she cares about you. So you better not let her down, mister."

She waited for his response, but he said nothing. He didn't even turn around. He just shoved away the notion that Rin cared for him because the feeling was not mutual. All she was to him was a nuance that he had to get rid of before she lost him more than his soul.

"Well, will you come with us or not, Sesshoumaru?" Kagome demanded patiently.

"I'm not agreeing to this, Kagome!" Inuyasha hollered.

"Oh c'mon. You won't fight him when he's human, so don't you want him to get his soul back too?"

"Actually, I'd rather just let him suffer for the rest of his life…" he mumbled.

If he went with them, he could get rid of Rin. In the middle of the night, when they were asleep, he could slip away. Then he would be free to pursue the _unagi_ alone. There was no reason for him to accept their help in this. The woman was only meddling in his affairs. Sesshoumaru liked to think that he still had his pride. It still existed in his mind, at least.

"Alright. I will go with you," he said flatly.

"Yay!" Rin squealed. "Then Lord Sesshoumaru will be happy with me again!"

Completely disregarding anything she said, Sesshoumaru headed to the cave to retrieve their drying clothes and put out the fire. He had never been happy with her. He would never be happy with her. He would only be able to live without her.

* * *

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Author's Note – Ugh, this is one of the most difficult chapters that I have ever written. The situations I have put these characters in is so complicated that they're reactions are… complicated. *continues griping* But anyway, next chapter will be the second to last chapter. Joy joy!

****

Fanart is welcome. I'm taking **picture requests**. And remember to **review**!

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Thank You's – To my ever so wonderful reviewers. I'm glad to get each and every review that I get, it puts a smile on my face!

New Fan – Well, I don't know if he'll really be able to understand human nature without a soul to feel anything… Perhaps afterward he will gain a bit of an understanding, but being Sesshoumaru, 'tis very doubtful. Besides, technically, he's not human. He's just in a human body and not demon, but with demon blood. If that makes any sense to you.

Christy Kay – Ah, the world of fanfiction would also be a much better place if people took lessons from _you_. I'm disappointed to know that it's a oneshit, but perhaps you'll continue it for me one day. *nudge nudge* As for the picture, I will either draw you a picture of Sesshoumaru without all of his armor or I will draw the new and improved Kaitoukon. Decisions, decisions.

Deadly Tears – Tee hee, hope you liked Inuyasha's reaction. I think its right on the nose, but that's just me. Too bad Sesshoumaru can't feel anything, otherwise he might have actually been _embarrassed_. Oh, and I'm trying to find a scanner, so bear with me!

Divine-Heart – Oh I think Inuyasha definitely took advantage, just not in the way you were expecting. ;) If Sesshoumaru ever gets his soul back, maybe he will finally feel the blow to his dignity. Or, how horrible would if be for him if he got his soul back… but his body remained human?

Demonic Rose – Thank you kindly! Adults always say that the best thing I have going for myself is my creativity. It's an art form that should be mastered by all.

CrazyGirl3 – I'm sorry to make you wait so long for an update, but I do hope the chapter was worth it. Very happy to know you like the story. That warms my cheesy little heart. *grin*

WildfireDreams – If you can't wait for more, we may be in trouble. You won't be waiting, and I won't be posting tomorrow. Aieee! I will apologize for the slow updates, though, and for you I will try to speed them up.

K-Chan – My ever so wonderful beta-reader. Whom I both love and hate dearly at the same time. Hugs and bruises, darling!


	4. The New Moon

**Title** – Of the Soul

**Chapter Four** – The New Moon

* * *

Night approached languidly. The sun had only begun to fall behind the horizon, tinting the sky with pastel hues of orange and violet. Inuyasha's mood worsened with the steady decline of day.  
  
He didn't want to be there. His only reason for staying was to protect Kagome in case Sesshomaru decided to kill her. Yes, his brother looked human, but that didn't mean that he was stripped of his demon powers. No, his brother didn't have bright eyes, claws or demon markings, but he was still a demon. Inuyasha could smell the pure blood. It had to be a trick.  
  
His eyes narrowed at Rin, who was picking flowers along the path and alternately giving them out to Kagome and Sesshomaru. In Sesshomaru's case, after he declined the gift she would tuck it into his golden sash. The ring of flowers around his brother's waist undignified him so greatly that Inuyasha often had to snort to keep himself from laughing. Finally, he turned his attention elsewhere.  
  
Kagome laughed along with Rin, who was chattering on about chasing butterflies and her like for "those yellow, happy flowers that smell real good." Inuyasha tilted his head back and withheld a groan. His triangular ears flattened against his head to filter out the child's annoying giggles.  
  
Apparently, she gained some sort of pleasure from following her lord's instructions. So after a very uninformative mouthful of what had happened to him, Rin had been commanded to silence on that subject and had said no more about it.  
  
A few minutes passed where Inuyasha had turned his head away and completely tuned out the three people in front of him so that he could lose himself in a world of aggravated thoughts that pushed away the image of Sesshomaru in a flowery sash entirely. However, his senses were still keen enough to know that Rin was now walking alongside her master – was he her master? Or her protector? – and that Kagome had slowed down to walk next to him.  
  
"Inuyasha?"  
  
His ears twitched. His bright eyes shifted to the corners of their sockets for a glance at his annoyer.  
  
"What?" he growled.  
  
"You've been so quiet. You haven't even complained about having them along since I invited them," she said. "What's wrong?"  
  
Her concern only grated on his temper and made him grind his fangs, which were already starting to recede. He clenched his hand into a fist, a slight point from each fingernail digging into his skin to reassure him that he had not yet lost his claws. Inuyasha let the hand go lax.  
  
"What's wrong?" he repeated harshly. "Oh, nothing... except for the fact that you invited my brother–" he thrust his hand out in Sesshomaru's direction, his voice growing increasingly heated, "– who has tried to kill me every time he's _seen_ me to come with us!"  
  
"Well you're obviously stronger then he is right now. Have a heart!"  
  
Inuyasha was seething. She had forgotten what night it was. In a few minutes he would be no stronger than his supposedly human brother...  
  
"And it's obviously a trap!" he shouted, raising his voice so that Sesshomaru could hear him. "Why else would that bastard come?"  
  
"Stop cursing in front of Rin!"  
  
"Yeah right! I bet Sesshomaru's trained her to be some innocent-looking killer and they're gonna try to kill us in our sleep. Well I ain't goin' to sleep with you around, ugly, so you can spare yourself the trouble and leave now!"  
  
Inuyasha glared pointedly at Sesshomaru's back, but his half brother didn't even falter in stride.  
  
"Hey, you egotistical jerk, did you hear me? I said to get the hell out of here!"  
  
Rin clutched her flowers tightly as she stared, wide-eyed. She squeaked at the end of his outburst and ran into Sesshomaru's leg, dropping her flowers so that she could cling to the lower limb. Her shoulders shook lightly and Inuyasha heard the distinct sound of breath sporadically catching in the throat that only came from crying.  
  
Sesshomaru stopped walking. Inuyasha's ears flattened guiltily. Kagome stamped her foot in rage.  
  
"Inuyasha!" she screeched. Nearby, an alarmed couple of birds took flight from their perch. "How could you be so horrible? How would you like it if you didn't have a soul and we left you to fend for yourself?"  
  
He snorted. "Ha! Remember when that decrepit old witch stole your soul Kagome? You were just an empty body. And here he is, _claiming_ that his soul's been taken, yet he's still moving. Explain that to me, Kagome."  
  
"Uh..." she faltered and closed her mouth. She opened her mouth as an answer came, but she stopped before she even began.  
  
Kagome turned to Sesshomaru for answers. His head was turned to look over his shoulder, watching without emotion, without any sort of curiosity or care toward the situation.  
  
"Inuyasha," she said with a tone of sincerity as she turned to face him again. "He has no soul. His eyes are empty."  
  
"Keh! In case you never noticed, he always looks like that."  
  
"But this is different. Before they were cold, but... but now there is nothing in them," she explained desperately, except she didn't know how to articulate what she wanted to say.  
  
As Kagome floundered for words, Inuyasha's attention was drawn to the setting sun. The transition from sunset to night was almost complete.  
  
"I don't know how I know, I just do," she said honestly, confidently. "We have to help him get his soul back."  
  
"I don't have to help that –"  
  
"Why do you believe that I need your aid?" Sesshomaru interrupted flatly. "I did not ask for it, nor will you receive any charity or mercy for it."  
  
Kagome whirled around to face the demon-turned-human. "It's called 'kindness'. As in, we're helping you out of the goodness of our hearts," she informed him. Then, in a brighter tone, said, "Besides, there's something good about you since you saved Rin's life. Twice."  
  
Then Inuyasha felt his chest tighten. His heart stopped for a beat. In the next beat, his hair was a mass of black that rubbed against his ears – ears that were on the sides of his skull and not on top of his head.  
  
He looked at his hands for confirmation. In place of his claws were brittle, useless human fingernails.  
  
"Damn."

* * *

Miroku prayed a final prayer at the last freshly covered grave. He ended his prayer with, "May your soul safely depart into the afterlife," but as he said it, he knew it was not possible.  
  
Their souls had been stolen by the _unagi_. The little knowledge he possessed of the winged eel demons came from myths. While each myth agreed that the _unagi_ have the ability to steal souls, they do not know what happens to it. One story would say that the soul melds with the weak soul of the unagi and remains fused forever, even in the afterlife. Another story would say that the soul makes the _unagi _stronger and, in death, are lost forever and cannot be reincarnated.  
  
Very few people had ever studied the _unagi_, so the information available on them was sparse. Despite their wings, they preferred to burrow intricate catacombs in mountains or underground. They were said to fight amongst themselves – and the loser became everyone's meal. They reproduced quickly and in large quantity to balance the rapid death rate.  
  
Most _unagi_ did not live long enough to acquire a soul strong enough to steal the souls of humans. It was rare to find one that was capable of stealing a demon soul, especially the soul of one as powerful as Sesshomaru.  
  
And that was where Miroku's knowledge ended.  
  
From that knowledge he was able to determine that these _unagi_ did not behave as they should. They flew in daylight, they ate the human villagers instead of themselves, and they were powerful enough to separate their souls from their bodies.  
  
Miroku didn't understand. They were supposed to be cannibalistic and reluctant, malcontented group members, not ravenous pack hunters.  
  
"Please, Miroku, I want to see if anyone escaped to the next village. I know we didn't bury everyone in the village. I know some of them escaped," said Zanson, the villager they had saved from the eel demon yesterday.  
  
On his shoulder was a walking stick that he had tied a cloth to. The cloth was full of trinkets and whatever food he had been able to find in the ravaged village.  
  
Miroku stood.  
  
"We cannot go with you until our companions return. Besides, it's night and I doubt that these woods are safe right now," he reasoned.  
  
"But I must warn the other village of the demons!" Zanson argued desperately.  
  
"Stay here and set out in the morning, my friend. As a favor to me," said Miroku.  
  
"But –"  
  
"Miroku," Shippo whispered, "I don't wanna sleep here tonight. What if those things come back?"  
  
"Nonsense. There is nothing left here for them. They have no reason to come back."  
  
Shippo relaxed, but his eyes still shifted around nervously as he went with Zanson to find a suitable spot to sleep.  
  
A breeze blew through the village, chilling Miroku's skin. Only then, with no chatter or duty to occupy his mind, did he notice how quiet it had become. He stood still, listening for the normal night sounds, but all he heard was something that wasn't really heard – an ominous silence.  
  
He looked skyward and expected to see a sliver of the moon. After a few seconds of searching, he realized that it was the night of the new moon. Not only that, but it was the night that Inuyasha was stripped of his demon powers.  
  
He prayed for Inuyasha's safety. He also prayed for Shippou, Zanson and his own safety.  
  
The breeze became stronger, cooler. Sound returned to the evening, but it was not the usual nightly noise. It was a rustling of leaves on the treetops and the occasional twig snapping from a branch. It was like a giant hand was moving over the trees.  
  
Miroku scanned the shadows. His eyes saw movement when there was none. He listened to determine if the noise was getting louder, closer, but soon he wasn't sure if the sound was real or imagined.  
  
He exhaled and resumed listening. The eerie silence had returned.  
  
A shift in the wind pattern drew his attention back to the cloudless sky. He sprung back reflexively when he saw a dark mass overheard. A moment later the heavy body was smashing into a pile of wood and straw that had been a hut that someone had cooked in, slept in and lived in yesterday.  
  
It didn't move. Its green eyes were open and staring, but they looked dead. Miroku straightened in alarm.  
  
"_Unagi_!" he shouted. "Shippo, Zanson!"  
  
Miroku circled with his staff held outward, prepared for an attack.  
  
There was a choked scream from inside one of the few remaining huts. Miroku turned and sprinted in the direction the cry had come from as Shippo came darting out, chased by a blue fog in the shape of an eel demon.  
  
Strategies and repercussions sped through his mind in nanoseconds. If he used his Wind Tunnel, Shippo would be caught in it as well. He couldn't physically defeat a soul. If it stole Shippo's soul and then he destroyed the _unagi's_ body, would their souls be lost forever?  
  
Shippo leapt into Miroku's outstretched arm. His other arm was holding his staff horizontal in front of them. He fell to his knees as the _unagi's_ soul slammed into the encompassing barrier he had hastily produced. The barrier wavered as the soul rammed into it a second time. Miroku dropped Shippo in order to hold his staff with both hands.  
  
"Miroku, use your Wind Tunnel," said Shippo, involuntarily trembling after his frightful chase.  
  
"I can't. I need both hands to hold the staff and keep up the barrier. I'd never be able to drop the barrier and take off my rosary before it stole our souls."  
  
Shippo cringed and went rigid.  
  
"What?! But you can't keep this up forever!"

* * *

**Author's Note** – Many apologies for such a long delay. For a long time I just didn't have any inspiration to write anything. Then when I did feel like writing, I was too busy with school to do so. So now that summer vacation is finally here, I finally sat down and finished this chapter. The next one will be out much sooner – and will hopefully be longer. Also, I have a picture of Kaitoukon for you guys, as a special treat: deviantart:com/view/7883224/ (replace the colon with a period)

**Thank You's** – To my wonderful reviewers. I love you all, especially if you've stuck with me this long!  
  
Breshcandra – It's finally here.  
  
NickNova – Toukijin having a scabbard in my story... was a complete brainfart. But, for argument sake, if it doesn't have a scabbard, why is it not ripping his pants to shreds? Also, you are right about the soul. However, there is an explanation for what has happened to him, which I will get to later in the story.  
  
goldenmoonlight13 – I've been wanting to draw a picture of Rin in Sesshoumaru's pelt! I'll be sure to get to both of your requests... eventually... but if I choose to do them with traditional media, it may be a while before I find a scanner.  
  
sesshomaru's fluff is mine – Thank you, thank you. And I'll do my very best.  
  
CrazyGirl3 – I know this wasn't a "soon" update, but it's finally here. Hope it was worth this ridiculously long wait!  
  
MarsAdept – About Reversed... that's gone on hiatus until I have more spare time. Right now, I can only concentrate on one story – and it's gonna be this one. Sorry to disappoint everyone who liked Reversed, but one day I will get back to it.  
  
**K-Chan's Beta Reader Notes** -  
  
K-chan: Because some of these words are a little confusing, I'll add a key at the end of each chapter now, mm'kay?

_Unagi_ - a winged eel demon (direct translation means "eel")  
  
I drew a picture of one, and it kind of looks like Kikyo's soul- stealers...That must be revised.


End file.
